Edith Hall (1)Rezensionen

I didn't get far. Apparently I am much more of a Peripatetic than a Stoic.

En el siglo IV a. C., Aristóteles funda en Atenas su escuela, una versión muy mejorada de la Academia platónica, donde él mismo estudió en su juventud. Desde ese auténtico centro de formación de los futuros pensadores clásicos supo ejercer una influencia inestimable.

La senda de Aristóteles da testimonio del modo en que una escuela de pensamiento puede ayudarnos a alcanzar la eudaimonía, esa felicidad que consiste en realizar plenamente nuestro potencial.

Las enseñanzas de Aristóteles no caducan, nos dice la autora. La «senda» invita a la reflexión pausada, a la contemplación (¡verdadero elogio del tiempo libre!), a analizar las relaciones con el prójimo (amorosas, de amistad, comunitarias), a preguntarnos qué tenemos en común con un pensador de la antigua Grecia, a entender y mejorar nuestra comunicación y a enfrentarnos con serenidad a la muerte.

Rastreando exhaustivamente la obra de Aristóteles, insertada en el contexto de los principales episodios de su biografía, Edith Hall ofrece aquí una actualización del pensamiento aristotélico junto con una interesante y original propuesta: emplearlo hoy, dos mil cuatrocientos años después, para cambiar nuestra vida.

So I went backward. I read what books on the ancient world I could find, as they there what I had. I learned but it was disjointed and understanding came in fits and starts.

Then I read this book.

The tone and voice is perfect. It is not and does not claim to be the ultimate book on the subject. It's a very good and effective introduction. It's written well and introduces what you need to know to continue study.

More over it sets you up for further study. The opening information includes two detailed maps and a timeline for reference. At the end each chapter has it's own list of references to pick up if a topic caught your eye and you want to know more.

But the brilliance that most impressed me is the habit of connecting and explaining events and populations. This is a vibrant, interactive and dynamic world. It's alive and active and passionate. And she is somehow able to bring that off the page.

This is how an introduction book is written.

For academics only.

Los griegos antiguos, con el estudio de las diez características de este grupo de pueblos que tanto contribuyeron a modelar el mundo moderno, es una detallada y vívida exploración de los dos milenios de historia que van desde el surgimiento de la civilización micénica, en el siglo XVI aC, al cierre del Oráculo de Delfos, en 395 dC. Pero, más que ninguna otra cosa, es la exploración del espíritu de las gentes que habitaron ese extenso territorio que llegó a ser la antigua Grecia, desde las orillas del Mar Negro y otras regiones asiáticas hasta las colonias del norte de África y las más occidentales de la actual Europa.
En palabras de la autora, «con el redescubrimiento, en el Renacimiento europeo, de las obras de arte y literarias de la Grecia clásica, el mundo cambió por segunda vez».

«Edith Hall se ha preguntado si es posible identificar las características esenciales de los griegos de la Antigüedad, desde la civilización micénica de mediados del siglo XVI aC hasta ese punto de no retorno, hacia finales del siglo IV, cuando el cristianismo expulsó a los dioses del Olimpo. Afirmando esa posibilidad, nos ofrece los diez rasgos más salientes… y consigue ilustrar profusamente, a lo largo de todo el libro, la originalidad y la mentalidad abierta de los pueblos que formaron la antigua Grecia»

This is a discussion, in modern language, of Aristotle's teachings for leading the good life. The author discusses mostly ethics, and discusses ethical problems from her own life, linking them to the ancient works. She also provides a biography of the philosopher, as she discusses various stages in his thought. The chapters each discuss a different aspect of living the good life, achieving one's potential, making decisions, acquiring self knowledge, and living in the community. The argument and prose flow well, but did not seem to promote the thought or critical reflection needed to understand the subject. I have read the Nichomachean Ethics, and seemed to engage more with the original arguments.

An excellent book, but a think piece, that requires frequent pauses to reflect and absorb what has just been written. This is a review of the principal thoughts of Aristotle, recapitulated for modern times. The principals of Aristotle's Rhetoric, for example, are shown how they are applied for an effective job resume, cover letter and interview for college professors. Also, the section on "Decisions" shows how applying Aristotle's logic in decision making is helpful in everyday decisions today. This chapter also shows how far modern education has strayed from teaching logical skills and good decision making skills in classrooms.
Although the book is too short to review all the books and writings of Aristotle, the author gives a good overview and presents the subjects well. A good read for rainy days by the fireplace, I recommend this for school and public libraries and personal collections. It is also a book to keep and to re-read in a few years.

Ancient Greece culture is one of the pillars of modern Western civilization, and this book is a great introduction to almost two thousand years of history that still shapes our culture.

The author lays out in the very beginning of the book what she considers as the essential components of ancient Greek culture and character, and then proceeds in chronological fashion to show us how parts of ancient Greek history relates to those components. It is not easy to summarize such a long segment of history in only a few hundred pages, but within these constraints, this book does a splendid job, becoming almost a page-turner.

I found some parts of the book not detailed enough, for example the period and events surrounding Hypatia deserve more details, but that's the mathematician in me speaking. There are so many fascinating periods, events, characters in this history, it is indeed very difficult to be fair to all of them. All in all, this book helped me fill in many blanks for me, because before this book, my knowledge of ancient Greece were limited to my readings on history of philosophy, mathematics and medicine; that is somewhat patchy and fragmentary.

I can easily recommend this book to the curious readers who want a very easy to follow introduction to ancient Greek culture and history, a coherent guide to this important period of our civilization. A few laughs and smiles are almost guaranteed and some of the characters you will find so alive as if ready to jump from those pages to you, lecturing on their current events. Finally, suggested reading and notes section are also very valuable for guiding the readers so that they can satisfy their appetite for more history.

Could not finish it. Focus both too narrow--one play that I have not read--and too broad--history of play in Greece and since.